Nick Saban was preparing for A-Day, Alabama's final spring practice Saturday, and missed the commotion.

Saban told The Denver Post on Friday night that he never met with quarterback Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase together two weeks ago, strengthening the Broncos' case that no NFL rules were broken.

"I am surprised to hear that anyone thought that what they were doing was in any way wrong. That's what people get for assuming," Saban said. "We did not talk Broncos football at all, other than Peyton asking questions about how he could get better as a player."

Asked specifically if Manning and Gase were in a meeting at the same time, Saban said, "Only to say hello. ... I only talked to Adam about his family. He talked to our assistant coaches."

The NFL is investigating whether Manning and Gase violated a rule in the collective bargaining agreement during a visit to the University of Alabama. The NFL forbids players from having individual meetings with coaches before teams begin their offseason workout programs. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told The Post on Friday that the "we are looking into" the matter.

Saban hosted Manning and Gase recently and said they had a "mutually beneficial" meeting discussing strategy on how to defend the no-huddle offense. He provided more specifics Friday night, explaining the separate nature of their visits.

"Adam was here for a couple of days on vacation. He talked to seven of our offensive and defensive coaches. I never really talked to him, except to ask about his wife and kids," Saban said. "I met with both of them independently. It just so happened that Peyton called and wanted to stop by. I talked with Peyton two different times for about an hour."

The Broncos start offseason practices Monday. The team declined comment on the possible violation, an issue first raised by ProFootballTalk.com.